PHONE FIRM HANGS UP ON BOCA CELL TOWER

Responding to a public outcry, Sprint Spectrum has withdrawn its request to build a cellular phone tower at Hammock Pointe Elementary School west of Boca Raton.

The move relieved parents and nearby residents who were concerned that microwave emissions from the tower might harm their children.

Sprint had sought approval to build the 150-foot tower at the school, but withdrew its request before Palm Beach County commissioners could hear it on Thursday.

Consideration of a separate request for a tower at Crystal Lakes Elementary, west of Boynton Beach, was postponed three months at the request of the School Board. The board this month approved a three-month moratorium on new towers at schools while it studies the issue.

Tower plans had stirred ferocious controversy among parents at Hammock Pointe. They jeered officials from Sprint and the school district at a raucous public meeting in January, and some formed a group to lobby against the construction of cell phone towers at schools.

"I think it's a great start," said Gary Brown, a founder of the group, which is called Families Against Cell Towers at Schools. "I'm glad they finally got the message."

Sprint representatives said they dropped the request because they didn't wish to fight the communities.

"It was a response both to the citizens' group and the School Board," said F. Ronald Mastriana, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer representing Sprint. "The only reason we went on these [school) properties in the first place was to help the schools."

The school district, which collects as much as $180,000 over five years for one tower, has allowed several to be built at schools. Part of the money goes back to the school for it to spend. The minimum lease is $75,000 over five years, Mastriana said.

Dan Olmetti, area vice president for Sprint, said he has recommended that his company look for new kinds of tower sites, given the persistent controversy.

"What we're going to be looking for is ultimate locations not near schools or residences," Olmetti said.

Brown said his group thinks too few studies have been done to determine whether the towers pose a risk to children. In the meantime, he said, school officials should not take chances.

"The victory is for the children and the employees who would be exposed to unknown microwave hazards," Brown said. The cellular industry and federal government say the levels of radiation are far too low to hurt anyone.

"We still feel that safety is not a concern," Mastriana said. "We don't want to become adversaries with the community."

Sprint had been planning to build towers at schools in Broward and Dade counties, but backed off those plans when controversy erupted in Palm Beach County, Mastriana said.

The company is only one of a number that have been involved in seeking use of school properties. So far, other companies have not changed their plans.

Because of growing concern about the proliferation of cellular phone towers, county commissioners on Thursday voted to have a countywide planning group study the issue and come up with recommendations for local governments to consider.